If we were asked to raise our hands to those who have “not” been obsessed with a celebrity, it is likely that no one would, since there is always an actor, actress, singer, idolband or boy band capable of stealing our hearts, sighs and even intelligence, because, according to a study carried out by Hungarian researchers, people who are obsessed with celebrities have reduced cognitive abilities.
This sounds quite extreme, but the specialists carried out an in-depth investigation, integrating data such as self-esteem, economic income, educational levels and Hollywood tastes of each participant, and the results were convincing. Below we explain more about it.
A recent study published in the scientific journal BMS Psychologystated that the fans obsessionals have lower intelligence compared to the rest of the fandom. That research found that people who are obsessed with celebrities perform dramatically lower on tests of cognitive ability than those who show less interest in celebrity news and gossip.
The study was conducted with the help of 1,763 Hungarian adults, who completed a scientific questionnaire known as the Celebrity Attitude Scale, then took two more tests, one on vocabulary and one on symbol and/or digit substitution. The specialists also collected personal data from the participants, such as economic income, educational level and self-esteem.
In the end, it was determined that celebrity obsession can impair cognitive functioning because a person spends much of their time, energy, and focus on celebrity behavior and life rather than self-development.
The study also found that those with better educational backgrounds are less likely to admire celebrities, and tend to focus on the marketing behind celebrities rather than what they do with their lives.